How much money to give son to live on at uni?

simpsonsfan

Hi there,

My son is going to uni in Sept. We are going to be financing him ourselves as we are not uk residents so can't get student loans etc. How much money per month would you say is reasonable for food, buses, laundry etc. We have sorted the accommodation, he is staying in halls. I was thinking he should be able to manage on £300 per month. What do you think?

melancholly

that sounds pretty generous to me!

knithappens

He should be able to get a part time job too, i know if he is not a UK resident them he is only allowed to work so many hours per week, tell him to look into this also with the international office at his university.

MrsManda

It really depends on where he is going to university.
If you are unsure, your son should have received information from his university with a rough estimate of how much everything is likely to cost. This information is also likely to be on the university's website or else their Student Union's website.

I go to university in London and without accommodation costs the university thinks that it'll cost ~£120 a week (including books, transport, going out etc...). But most students I know spend a lot less than this (the breakdown includes £50 for 'entertainment' which is just not necessary). Plus students usually get a job which gives them more money and less time to spend it.

busiscoming2

Hi there as has been said it depends on where uni is and also what sort of lifestyle your son will have. My son has just finished his first year (in London) and he had budgeted £90pw (excluding halls rent) but in reality only spent about £70. He only went out a couple of times a week, preferring to get together with other students in rooms.

blondecaz

I know the basic maintenance loan that UK students can get through their local education authority is somewhere around £3200 a year (non-means tested that is). I managed to survive on this at uni (including paying for my accommodation myself) by having a part-time job as well.

So that should give you a guide as to what the other students will be living off. Of course, some people's parents will give them extra money as well as this.

simpsonsfan

Thanks for that. I guess around £90 a week seems fair then. Maybe I'll start with £350 per month and see how he manages. It will be a real struggle to be honest, so I hope he appreciates it!

Lokolo

I recieve my accomodation costs + £225 a month from grandparents and this is more than enough. Although my university area is quite cheap (acc for the year is just under £2500).

I would make sure he learns to budget and use excel rather than just spend at will...

minerva_windsong

I think my halls worked out at £60 a week for a 38 week let (so if I'd wanted to I could have stayed over the Christmas and Easter holidays but had to go home at the end of summer term). That included all the bills except a TV licence (which there was no point in as the reception in my halls was rubbish and with iPlayer etc you don't need it) but had a shared bathroom, so obviously if he wants/needs an en suite bathroom or to stay over the summer it'll be a bit more.

I then budgeted:
- £25 a week for food (normally spent more like £10 or £15 though)
- £30 a week for going out (again never really spent that much though as I didn't go out in town a lot, I preferred going to the student cinema or drinking in campus bars)
- £15 a week for anything extra I needed (toiletries, clothes, CDs/DVDs, books etc)

If he has a student bank account in the UK most banks automatically give students an interest free overdraft, but I wouldn't recommend using that unless he really has to - contrary to what some people I knew at university thought it is not free money and will need to be paid back, so I really wouldn't advise using it unless absolutely necessary.

Having a part time job will be a help though - quite often the university will offer stuff like working on the door at campus events, working behind the bar in the students' union, ringing former students to donate to the university, showing possible new students round on open days etc. The careers services at most unis are very very good, as it's in their interest to make sure that the students have the best employment prospects for the future (something which a part time job will also help with), and most employers in student towns will understand the need to be flexible due to exams and things.

TDQO

To be honest you'd be better off giving him 50 quid a week:

25 for food, 25 for entertainment

and then if he has other, larger expenses he can come to you and ask for the money. If you give him 200 or 10,000 a month, every penny will get spent! It's better to teach him to be frugal at first rather than giving him loads to blow if it's going to mean that you struggle.

This way you can put away any extra you can afford for emergencies and the chances are he will get a part time job for more cash so will be more independant and less costly to you...

Judith_W

I managed on no support from my parents (grad 2006), i got the full loan and managed to only work in the summer hols. I would say £50 would be reasonable.